The Small Things
by SarottiFlotti
Summary: It were the small things that made Adrien suspicious. Her laugh. Her smell. Her reaction. Her everything. Reveal, TwoShot, Mostly Adrinette and a bit of LadyNoir :) (Crossposted on Ao3)
1. Adrien

**Here´s Rotti and I´m back with a ´short´ Oneshot. A few days ago, I read a fanfic and since then I had this idea in my head. But I unfortunately can´t remember the title or the author anymore, so excuse if it has (especially in the first part) any similarities to already existing fanfics. When you have a clue, don´t hesitate to point it out to me, I really want to give the Author the credit for my idea.**

 **But... as long as I´m still in the dark, enjoy my little piece of sunshine ;)**

 **Like always, don´t hesitate to point out mayor crimes in spelling and grammar.**

* * *

It were the small things that made Adrien suspicious.

The very first was her laugh.

During chemistry, the schoolground shook and a cackle echoed through the halls of Francois-Duponts. With an annoyed sigh, Madame Mandeleiev ended the lesson, yelling at everyone to take a worksheet for homework.

The students of Francois-Dupont were so used to the akumatization of one of their fellows, it was always quite a shock to find them standing at the sides, cheering for the fighting superheroes.

That was a dangerous game, but Ladybug and Chat Noir had already tried to evacuate them, only to find them back again after a few minutes. It was like fighting against windmills, and that was the reason the teachers had no intention in evacuating the students either. They just helped in making sure no one got in the way of the fight.

So Adrien carefully slipped away into the boys bathroom to transform into Chat Noir.

The fight was quite easy, he used a cataclysm to distract the colour-based victim and Ladybug easily snatched the possessed item away and cleansed the Akuma.

The second Akuma this day came at late noon. The fact that she was made out of clouds made it trickier to fight her, due to she was able to control mist, but a Lucky Charm from his Lady and a strategically placed cataclysm later, this Akuma was cleansed too.

It had been Friday and patrol-time, where he and Ladybug would first roam the city separately and meet up at the top of Eiffel tower.

There he sat, waiting for Ladybug. Because of the two Akumas during daytime, he was pretty content that there will be no other until at least tomorrow. Hawkmoth might be an evil asshole, but he had his patterns too and Adrien had nothing scheduled for the next morning, so Chat Noir would be able to spend the whole night with his Lady.

Oh, his Lady. Ladybug. She was the light of his life, the water for his thirsty soul, the pillow for his sleepy head, the ink for his empty pages. She was simply everything he craved for, everything he ever wanted.

"Hey Kitty," came her wonderful voice from behind.

"Oh, MyLady, I wondered when you would gift me with your wonderful _purr_ esence," he purred and leaned back to watch her approach upside down.

"Oh yeah? And here I was, wondering, how long you could last without a pun," she smirked and suited herself at his left side.

"Spoiler!" he smiled, "Not very long."

Then she laughed.

Ladybug rarely laughed freely. She always made deep, sarcastic ´HaHa´s or even giggled. But this laugh was so rare and he locked every single moment like this in his heart. Every little snort, every breathless hiccup.

Normally it was the adrenaline flashing through their veins in their race through the streets of Paris that made her laugh in pure joy,. Sometimes she laughed because he did something stupid, like falling into a dustbin and emerging with the peel of a banana on his head, but now, it was because he has said something actually funny.

So Chat couldn´t resist but to smile brightly, and their laughter filled the space between the steal beams of the monumenal monument of the monumental city of monumental love.

It wasn´t actually this monumental funny, she told him after they had calmed down, but her laugh has been contagious, it resounded in his heart, spreading into every fibre of his being - he couldn´t love her more in these intimate moments.

:

The next morning he woke up with a grin. Her laugh still echoed through his head. It accompanied him during his morning routine, it accompanied him during breakfast. It stayed in his mind when he finished his homework and while he ate lunch.

It was during his fotoshoot in the park in the afternoon when he thought he had gone insane. He was asked to look lovesick, so he imagined the laugh once more, let it fill his heart, his brain. The smile that spread on his face came natural and the photographer appreciated it, wildly clicking with his camera, but Adrien couldn´t care less.

The laugh of his Lady still echoes in him and he was struck when he thought that he would hear it in reality. Should he stop imagining it, when he began to _really_ hear it?

But... what were the chances that she was here with him? In this park?

Anticipation rushed through his veins and he quickly glanced around, ignoring the protest of his crew, and looked for the heavenly sound. A few kids on the playground, an elderly woman on a park-bench and... Alya and Marinette under a tree, occupied with something on Alyas smartphone. And they laughed at something. They laughed.

Marinette laughed. And she sounded just like his Lady!

Did she always laugh like this? No, he had heard her laugh before. There was no way, Marinette could be Ladybug. Marinette was shy, clumsy, she stuttered. Maybe just a coincidence, or a weird echo from something that twisted her voice and let it sound similar to Ladybugs.

Dismissing the thought quickly, he apologized to his crew and turned back to work.

* * *

It were the small things that made Adrien suspicious.

The second was her smell.

Adrien got really curious when he smelled her.

They got to do projects in school a few days later. They were assigned to work with partners, Nino unfortunately got Chloé and Adrien was assigned to Marinette. Again flashed the fotoshoot in his head, but he shook his head to clear his mind from this idea. He did not want to see. There was no way she could be Ladybug.

Adrien suddenly realized that in spite Marinette was one of his best friends, he did not know anything about her. The girl always acte awkward around him, but maybe she will warm up when they work together.

"Can I come over after school?" he asked her, "To work on the project."

She blushed crimson and smiled, nodding eagerly. "I would love to," she breathed and Adrien flashed her a smile before turning around again to support Nino in his misery with his new partner.

Like Adrien predicted, another Akuma appeared in lunchtime. It was a police-officer who got akumatized because his chief had suspended him for letting a newly cought bank robber flee. He went rogue and captured everyone in bars, formed like a one-person-prison.

"No one will escape my prison ever again!" he cackled and Adrien sighed. Searching for a place to transform, he hoped that they were able to clean him quickly - he had no intention in skipping lunch.

The fight was quite easy after his Lady joined him, but he got distracted for only a second and the Akuma used his chance and trapped the two in a quite small cage.

Ladybugs back pressed against his chest and suddenly a smell filled his nose. It was obviously Ladybugs smell, vanilla and strawberries and he loved that shampoo. It was not the first time he smelled her. When they fought Animan and on occasion a few times more. A heavenly smell on a heavenly woman.

"Chat!" she called him out of his thoughts. "Use your cataclysm, we can´t stay here."

"Aww, and I thought you enjoyed being pressed against my chest," he purred and totally noticed with absolute joy the blush that darkened her cheeks and ears.

"Just... Just get us out of here!" she called and he totally didn't enjoy the fact that she got flustered because of him.

Chat quickly called his cataclysm and touched the bars, which crumbled into rusty dust.

"Thanks," Ladybug said and dashed after the Akuma. With a smirk he trotted after her and soon the Akuma got cleansed and Adrien hurried back to class.

Unfortunately, lunch was over by now, so he had only a few minutes to spare, filling them with light chatter and jokes.

During the last lessons of the day, he caught himself drifting towards Marinette. They would have to work on a project this afternoon and he really looked forward to visit her parents bakery. Maybe he would be able to snatch a few pastries. The possibility of her being Ladybug was still present in a corner of his mind, but he continued to shove it back.

"Are you ready?" he asked her after the final bell rang, turning around with a smile gracing his lips.

Marinette slightly jumped when he addressed her and with a flushed face she grinned and nodded. Awesome!

So he collected his stuff and waited for Marinette at the door, she still had something to discuss with Alya. The girls hugged tightly and the blogger pushed her friend towards Adrien.

"O... Okay, let´s go," she murmured and passed him. He flashed another smile and followed the petite girl.

Arrived in her house, they worked on their project, ordered the topics, decided who did what and began to work on their own parts. Adrien researched something on Marinettes computer while she sat on the floor, decorating their poster.

"Erm.. can you give me the thingy there?" she suddenly interrupted and gestured nervously to something on the desktop next to him.

"Huh? What?" he asked, at a loss what she meant.

"That," she began and glanced around the ground, "That pink thing there!"

"Umm..." At his defence: _everything_ on this desk was pink.

"Argh," she sighed and scrambled to her feet, wobbling because her legs were sore from the time crouched on the floor. She limped towards him and grabbed a pink scalpel from over his left shoulder.

It was when she retrieved her arm, she accidentally knocked her elbow right into his nose. It wasn´t painful, he got hurt way worse before, but it caused him to roll backwards with his chair. Unfortunately, the rolls somehow blocked and the chair toppled back.

He heard Marinettes shriek and saw her try to grab after him, but somehow she staggered and flew after him. A striking pain flushed through his spine when he collided with the floor and Adrien groaned when Marinette landed sprawled on his chest.

Vanilla and strawberries.

The pain was forgotten, he even somehow managed to reassure the now-tomato-Marinette that everything was all right, but all he actually could to think of was her smell. Sure, many girls might smell like vanilla and strawberries, but what were the chances? He already was suspicious after he had heard her laugh, but now, that they even smelled the same... he got curious.

"Tell me, Marinette," he began after finishing their first session, about to leave, "What kind of shampoo do you use?" It was a total innocent question, nothing weird.

"M... my shampoo?" she asked and blushed once more, eyes wide like saucers.

"Yeah," he smiled, "you smell like vanilla and strawberries. I like it." Was that weird?

"I... I don´t know. I... I mean, yeah. It´s brawsterries, I mean, strawberries, but... the vanilla comes from the bakery? I don´t know, it´s quite a smell that stays," she explained with a shrug, "do you really like it?"

"Yes," Adrien laughed. It was definitely weird. "I like it. It reminds me of someone."

"Thanks," she smiled broadly and soon he left the bakery with a free take-away-bag from her parents, stuffed with baked goods.

But all he thought about was Marinette. Or Ladybug. Could she be his Lady? Maybe _that_ was a coincidence too, he should ask her this evening during patrol after her shampoo. Okay, it was weird asking Marinette, but Ladybug wouldn´t mind, would she?

So he went home deep in thoughts. Was it really unlikely that Marinette was Ladybug? No, let´s say he had to investigate further. And his first step was to ask Ladybug the weird question.

"My shampoo?" she asked with raised eyebrows. "What´s with my shampoo?"

"Let´s say, I´m curious," he smirked.

"Curiosity killed-"

"-the cat and satisfaction brought it back," he interrupted her, still smiling "I know, we already went through this. Just answer my question, will you?"

They stood on a random rooftop, they had chased each other, played their version of hide and seek before. The wind blew in her face, made her strands lightly ghost over her cheekbones. She regarded him with a weird look, he couldn´t quite place.

"What´s with you guys and my shampoo today?" she murmured more to herself, he nearly didn´t catch it but it sent shivers over his skin. "It smells like strawberries and the vanilla somehow sticks. Satisfied?" she frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes," he breathed. That was the same answer Marinette had given him. He smiled and repeated louder again. "Yes, MyLady, thank you." he gently scooped down, took her hand and breathed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Is everything all right, chaton?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes, everything is all right." But nothing was all right.

* * *

It were the small things that made Adrien suspicious.

So the third was her reaction and it made him absolutely certain about her identity. Now she only had to confirm.

Everything in him screamed that she _was_ Ladybug, everything pointed towards her. But his mind told him that everything was a coincidence, that she never acted confidently like Ladybug or sassy like Ladybug. But then... he acted differently as Chat Noir too, so... he was kind of stuck.

During the last few days, he observed her. Her posture, her speech, her gestures and facial expressions.

 _Nothing_ indicated that she was Ladybug when _he_ talked to her. But the instant others addressed her, she did a 180 turn. Confident. Joking. Daring.

Even if he didn´t really get why she acted differently around _him_ , he had to take matters into his own hand. He somehow had test her.

And what drove Ladybug up the wall? Puns.

One morning he finally decided to start a pun-marathon. He stood in front of his mirror and breathed deeply in and out, preparing himself for the day. Rolling his shoulders and neck he finally felt somehow ready. A confident smirk played on his lips when he repeated the most common and easier ones in his head. He is going to crush his princess´ defensive.

Silently wondering how long she could last, he dressed and gulped down his breakfast.

Entering his school, he glanced around. He knew Marinette wouldn´t be around by now, she normally came close to the bell. So he entered their homeroom and sat down at his seat, taking out his notebook and pencil. He had half the mind to listen to Nino and Alyas banter, even threw some things into their conversation, but he only had eyes for the wooden door.

What will be his first joke? He should start easy, warm up a bit. Didn´t want to scare her away the first minute of the day. Maybe he shouldn´t address her directly, let her get warm up to the idea of him punning.

Alya and Nino just switched to Ladybug and Chat Noir, Alya gushing about a photo from last nights patrol, when Marinette entered. Adriens heart stopped for an instance as she sat down at her seat and listened to her friends.

That was his starting signal.

"I think they are the most _purr_ fect couple," he threw in. That was easy. That was the first one.

Alya just began to ramble about her OTP, but all he saw was Marinette, throwing a confused glance to him. And she didn´t even blush! Not quite Ladybug, but he wasn't nearly finished. A devilish grin spread on his face and somehow giddy, he continued: "Last night I saw them on their _cat_ rol and you could literally feel the love _purr_ upting from them."

Ignoring Ninos laughter and Alyas amused squeal, he openly watched Marinettes facial expression. The confusion was still present, and she cocked her head in a silent question. He could have sworn, he knew what she meant, but he kept silent and turned his attention to the front, where the teacher began the lesson.

During the whole day, in every sentence there was minimum one pun.

"I think I lost an electron, because I´m positive of my answer."

"This question is just a-salt."

"Chemistry is full of alkynes of trouble."

Later then: "I´m sentenced to death."

"That´s noun of my buisiness."

Near lunch he heard the first groan from behind and his stomach somersaulted. He hadn´t been able to watch her reaction the whole day, given to the fact that she sat behind him, but he clearly caught the groan and it was the most Ladybug-like thing he ever got from her.

"Dude, as much as I appreciate it," Nino addressed him during lunch, "but what´s with you and those puns today?"

Marinette wasn´t around, so he got a few minutes to collect himself. Not that he had any problems with coming up with enough puns (that´s impossible), but it was kind of exhausting, coming up with them in _every sentence_.

So he chuckled and rubbed his neck. "You know, I kind of wanted to prove something."

"So it´s a challenge?" he asked further, mildly curious, "for yourself or someone else?"

No, that was not quite the right thing to say, but he had no better explanation, so he shrugged and told him: "For someone else. I want to know how she reacts."

Nino laughed, declaring him crazy.

They were back at the school entrance, waiting for the girls and as soon as Marinette came into earshot, he continued his marathon.

"Hey, boys," Alya greeted them,"Ready to head to horrible math?"

"Don´t make a _mew_ ntain out of a _mew_ l hill," Adrien chuckled, "It´s not that bad, Alya." He did not expect the groan that elicited out of Marinette, but he welcomed it, for it sent shivers down his spine. Groaning was Ladybugs signature reaction to his puns, so he giddily laughed and headed with his friends towards their homeroom.

Maybe he should change tactics, because the cat-puns seemed to get the best reactions out of her. Within a few seconds he decided: Cat-puns for the rest of the day. They still had a few hours of school left, so he had much time to get the Ladybug out of her.

They just talked about their afternoon-activities, when Nino suggested they head to the movies after school finished. Adrien already had half the mind to clear his schedule for the day, in case Marinette indeed turned out to be Ladybug. And it got clearer every pun he made, but he had to admit, she had more willpower than he anticipated. He needed more time to annoy her. And that was his best chance.

So he willingly nodded. "Yeah, I´m _purr_ fectly fine with this. For once I have a _mew_ singly nothing scheduled!"

Another groan from Marinette got noticed by him and only with a little conviction from Nino and Alya, she agreed to come with them.

"What do you want to watch?" Nino asked them when they stood in the big entrance of the cinema, glancing over the display where the movies were listed. And one movie stood out amongst them. At least for Adrien.

"Hey, what´s with ´Catastic`? I heard it´s _purr_ etty-", he began, but got interrupted by three different shouts of ´NO!´. "What?"

"Sorry, dude, but no," Nino began, laughing, and Alya continued: "We had enough cat-jokes for one day and we´re not going into one where cats are displayed as spies."

"That would be _cat_ astrophic," Nino chuckled once more, getting along with Adriens jokes and together they fell into a fit of laughter, Alya and Marinette just mere bystanders.

Looking back up to his Lady, he watched how her eye began to twitch. He felt, he got _close_. Not long and he cracked her.

Okay, it was not that he wasn´t entirely sure of her identity, after lunch, he received so many groans and eyerolls from his partner that he was indeed certain of her being Ladybug. But he needed confirmation, she should _somehow_ address him, because he wanted _her_ to make the first step. She was the one wanting to keep their identities a secret and he _knew_ that she minimum had a clue that he was Chat Noir. So if she did the first step, he would know, it was okay. And he didn´t care if it was some kind of bribing her into revealing with his puns. He was totally fine with this.

They finally settled onto one of the newest superhero-blockbusters. With the first appearance of Ladybug and Chat Noir, companies lika Marvel or DC-Comics seemed to create a new era and produced superhero-movie after superhero-movie. And Alya hyped them. Naturally, he avoided them, that came somehow with being one himself. They lost their vigor and spite, seemed only dull and overdone.

Marinette seemed to have the same thoughts and hesitated, but Alya nearly dragged them to the counter and made them pay for their tickets. When Nino went to pay for his and Alyas, Alya shot him a look and he waved her off. He already intended to pay for Marinette, so when she grabbed in her purse, he snatched it away from her hands and added in a low whisper: "If you don´t let me pay, I´ll pun your head off." ^^

He smirked when her eyes widened, it was easy to be like Chat when she was around.

"Are you threatening me?" she whispered back, hands on her hips. Oh, that was so like Ladybug, he could squeal in delight, but he had a game to play.

"Does it work, MyLady?" he winked and she flushed red, suddenly stiffening next to him. Was the nickname too much? Probably, but now she knows that he knows. Maybe it will quicken some things up.

After they paid for tickets and snacks they settled in their respective seats, Alya cuddling into Nino, what left Adrien settling next to Marinette.

"Want some popcorn?" he offered her with a smile and she just smiled at him sweetly.

"What? Running out of puns?"

That left him laughing. "No, it´s _mew_ ly im _paw_ sible to run out of puns."

And just to annoy her further during the whole movie (he knew anyway that she didn´t take this movie serious) he mimicked the heroes sentences, twisting everything he said into a pun of some sorts and whispering it into her ear.

She soon began to suppress groans and after half an hour the eye-twitching was back. He often got shushed by others, even by a very annoyed Alya, but he didn´t mind. After an hour, Marinette leaned over to Alya, asking how far they already got into movie. Alya just eyed her curiously and answered that they had just the first half finished.

Slumping back with a groan, she eyed him warningly. He flashed her an innocent smile and turned back to the fighting-scene that got displayed on the screen.

Marinette tried many things to shut him down, but that didn´t stop him, he had too much fun guessing the next moves of the characters, twisting them into puns and annoying Marinette at the process. He got scolded a few more times, but he managed to lower his voice that no-one except Marinette would hear and when she leaned away from him, he easily followed her so at the end of the movie he leaned half on his partner, who hid her face in handsful of hair, she was a mess at this point and he could see, that she was really at the verge of breaking. Maybe he took it too far? No, that´s not possible.

"Aww," he frowned, when they left the cinema-hall, settling on bakery-puns, "It´s already _oven_? I just be _bun_ to warm up, they-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!"

Astounded, all heads turned to the petite girl with pigtails. The instant she recognised her mistake, she flushed red and hid her face in her hands. Should he set everything on one card? That would most likely cost him his life, but that would be totally worth it.

"Am I a _mew_ ing you?" He breathed, stepping closer and cocking his head to the side, hoping to get a glimpse of her face, "I didn´t quite _cat_ ch what you wanted to say. Or cat got-"

"Finish and I´ll throw you off the next roof," she interrupted him in a low hiss.

"... your tongue?" he dared to finish and laughed.

That was the final straw, Marinette _was_ his Lady and he had _finally_ got her confirmation, so he jumped in total joy. Ignoring her deathglare and struggling, he circled her waist and hoisted her up in the air. Spinning her around, he couldn´t stop laughing, didn´t dare to let her her go. Never would.

"Asshole," she muttered against his scalp, stopping to struggle against his grip and he burried his face into her soft neck. He chuckled once more and stopped spinning but refused to let her down. "Erm... Kitty? Can you let me down? Like... Right now? People are staring."

"I don´t care," he chuckled and gripped her tighter instead. He finally found his Lady and she was one of his best friends outside of the mask too. No matter if she liked him back in the way he does, He finally found her and it wouldn't make any difference in his attempts to woo her.

"Adrien! What´s up with you today?!" droned Alyas more than concerned voice through the layers of skin and clothing he had buried himself into. She probably questioned his sanity by now.

Marinette only chuckled from above and he felt her shrug her shoulders. He felt her pulse against his lips, felt the rapid beat of her heart against his own, felt her heaving chest in his arms and the drum of her voice, sending shivers down his spine.

Eventually she became too heavy (not that she was heavy in the first place or he wasn´t used to heave things up, but it was exhausting holding a moving human being up, flush against your skin) and he was forced to get her back on earth. Smiling sheepishly, he stepped back from his Lady, already missing her warmth. Glancing to his other friends, expecting their asking glances he just shrugged and tried to somehow explain his unlike-Adrien behaviour.

"I just waited for her reaction." Would this be enough? Unlikely. Looking at his Lady for help, Marinette explained further: "I thought I could dry him out, but obviously..."

"... I can´t be, there are just too many," he finished with a laugh.

"Sooo, no more puns?" Alya asked incredulously, but the both only shook their heads, Marinette full of dread and and Adrien in pure joy. "Only for today," Adrien mused, "I have to admit it´s exhausting coming up with one in every sentence."

"He will never stop. Never."

Laughing, he grabbed Marinettes hand and dragged her out of the building. Without letting go of her, he bid goodbye to the still confused Alya and Nino and dragged her towards his mansion.

"Erm... Adrien? I... I live...," she gestured to a corner they just passed but he refused to let her go and they still had to talk about some things.

"Do you mind coming home with me for dinner?" he asked out of the blue and he felt her stiffen at his side.

"What?"

How should he explain? How should he explain that he wanted her by his side, that he wanted to be with her, that he wanted to be her partner outside of the mask too?

"I mean," he explained with a sad expression, "I´m always alone at dinner and I was hoping-" but she interrupted him by placing her palm against his cheek.

"We have to talk anyway so let me just call my parents and we can head to your´s okay?" He flashed her a thankful smile and nodded, letting her go from his grip, only so she could call her parents. He himself called Nathalie, announcing a guest for dinner so the chief could prepare enough food for both.

When they continued their journey, Marinette interlaced her fingers with his and he couldn´t be any happier in this moment.

* * *

Her Everything was what he loved. (Epilog)

The small antics she showed when she was either Marinette or Ladybug. Her sass, her kindness, her shyness, her confidence, her beauty, her talent, her reliability, her … everything. The list could go on and on and it wouldn´t be finished in years. He loved her whole being so much, it sometimes ached and he wondered if it was possible to die only because she flashed him a smile.

After their ´reveal´ they talked much, nearly the whole night. When she went home, he had followed her and waited on her balcony and they talked more. They eventually confessed, but decided to stay friends for, to get to learn the person under the mask. But this attempt failed, they just weren´t able to separate, during school or patrol.

It was like they gravitated to each other and he remembered the longing when he lay awake in bed for hours until he (or sometimes even she) had enough and transformed to get to the other.

So it was no surprise that they got finally together officially after very hurtful eight days.

That was five years ago and he now sat in their shared apartment, across from his Lady at the kitchen table.

"Mari?" he finally broke the silence.

"Hmm?" she hummed without looking up from her sketching.

Fiddling with the small box in his hand, he nervously lowered his head, deciding that it would probably be the best to ask her right away. He had planned on going to a romantic dinner-date, then cinema and a walk through the park and underneath the Eiffel tower, her most favourite spot in Paris - he would fall down on his knees and propose to her.

He had prepared _everything._ Had asked her father, announced to Nathalie so she could handle the press, he even intended to write a letter to his father. But all the planning was useless against his impatience.

He had planned it for Friday and today was only Tuesday... how was he supposed to wait another painful three days? This morning he bought the ring, a small ruby on a golden band and he was freaking giddy to give it to her. Not that he expected her to decline, they already had talked about marriage, but during the day, the what-ifs had crept in his mind and drove him crazy.

Sensing his nervous energy, she looked up and searched in his gaze for any clues. They instantly locked their gazes and he found himself drown the sea of blue in front of him. So he just blurted it out.

"Will you marry me?"

Fiddling with the hatch of the box he held it in front of her face.

Her concerned face turned into one of confusion, surprise when she saw the ring, then shock.

It stayed in shock-mode and she just stared first at the ring and then at him. Why does she stay like this?!

Now freaking out, he tried to explain. "I mean, I wanted to ask you on friday, but then I got nervous and you don´t have to, I now, we´re young, but I love you Mari! I really do! Everything of you! I love it when you grunt in the morning when you wake up, I love it when you poke your tongue out of your mouth when you´re concentrating. And I totally love it when you kick a villains ass."

"Adrien..." Ignoring her, he went on.

"I love it to wake up next to you, I love to cook dinner with you..."

"Adrien..."

"I love it to cuddle on the couch after a stressful day, I just want to be together with you for the rest of my life."

He took a breath to continue his ramble and she used the pause to throw in her response:

"Okay"

"I love- ...What?"

"Yes, Adrien."

 _fin_

* * *

 **Okay, that´s it :D The second chapter is going to be with Marinettes Point of view, you can leave it here or continue, nothing new will follow. Okay, it _is_ slightly different, but... yeah, you know. **

**I admit, I googled some puns. I´m not really creative in that way and it is sometimes _really_ hard to come up with some in a foreign language, so hope you don´t mind.**

 **I´m not going to write anything in the near future, because there are still two houseworks/academic papers/domestic works (I don´t know how you call it, just googled it too XP) waiting for me from university, so I first have to finish these... urk. Fanfiction is more fun.**

 **Sooo, I still have a few ideas in my head, stay tuned ;)**

 **Thank you for reading and feedback is appreciated :D**


	2. Marinette

**You guys are AMAZING!**

 **Okay, obviously I'm not busy enough to not write any more fanfictions... Let's begin with something small: A second chapter to The Small Things (Haha). Everything's the same just out of Marinettes point of view. Obviously I can't take the laughter for the first, she's not immensely attached to Chats laughter, so I took something slightly different, but... Enjoy so far ;)**

* * *

It were the huge things that made Marinette suspicious.

The first was his sadness.

Finally! She was in time for class! Running up the stairs happily, she skipped into her classroom.

Alya wasn´t there yet, neither was Nino. Only Adrien sat in his seat, tipping something away on his mobile. Marinette slowed her steps and regarded him for a few seconds.

Even when he was busy with the technological device, he looked sad, lonely. It made her heart soar and she just wanted to hug him, tell him that everything is going to be all right. But sadly, it was not her place to do so.

She knew his life was not the best at home. A distant father and a schedule full to the brim with activities he doesn´t even like. All he needed was love, but no one gave it to him, no one seemed to care. She desperately wanted to be that person, holding him, hugging him, but that was impossible with her current inability to even form coherent sentences around him.

At this moment he looked up and caught her staring, Marinette flushed red and flashed him a nervous smile. Did he mind?

"Good morning Marinette!" he smiled and put his mobile aside, "You´re on time!"

What followed was an awkward conversation and somewhen Alya arrived, saving her.

* * *

Ladybug was jumping over Paris´ rooftops, letting the nightly air brush through her bangs and pigtails. She loved the crisp and swinging with her yoyo through the streets. It felt like flying, she felt free, playing with gravity like a small child with a toy. That definitely was the best on being Ladybug.

All too quick, she arrived at the Champ de Mars, spotting her partner on one of the top beams of the famous landmark. Spinning her yoyo fast to latch it onto the top too, she soared up into the air and landed a few beams beneath Chat Noir.

She wanted to greet him like usual, but couldn´t resist to gaze at him in wonder, searching for something. No, she was no stalker. It was just Chat and she was not creepy at all.

His eyes roamed over Paris and a small smile graced his lips. He obviously thought of something pleasant but... he seemed off again. There it was, his smile didn´t quite reach his eyes, some indefinable sadness lingered in those shining green orbs.

Last week she saw it for the first time. A sadness that threw her off, how can someone so quirky and funny like Chat know such a sadness? Since then she found herself regarding his expression and she more than often found it. Always when they sat together in silence and he was left to his own thoughts, this expression appeared. A trained smile and sad eyes. It somehow reminded her of Adriens very own one, but she brushed that thought away, no situation can compete with Adriens.

"Hey Kitty," she called and jumped up behind her partner.

He leaned back, regarded her from upside down and finally a real smile lightened his expression.

"Oh, MyLady, I wondered when you would gift me with your wonderful _purr_ esence," he purred. Sadness washed away.

"Oh yeah? And here I was, wondering, how long you could last without a pun," she smirked and suited herself at his left side.

"Spoiler!" he smiled, "Not very long."

And then she laughed. That was her kitty! Not the sad boy who sat there mere minutes ago, that was her joking, funny partner. Somewhen he fell in in her laughter and she wasn´t able to stop anymore, she found his very own laugh contagious, when did it make her smile?

And when she lay in bed an hour later and thought of Adrien (like always), Chats face suddenly made an appearance. His sadness. Why did it struck something familiar? And why told her tired mind her that their sadness was the same? Sure, it was the same deep feeling, sometimes hidden behind a false smile, but there was just no way, Adrien was Chat.

Laughing because of her silliness she yawned and turned around.

:

It were the huge things that made Marinette suspicious.

The second was his cologne.

And she got curious when she smelled him.

A few days later they got to do projects in class. She prayed to every god that would like to listen that she got _not_ paired with Chloé again and someone seemed to have listened, because she breathed a sigh of relieve when Chloés name got called after Ninos. Poor Nino, lucky Marinette!

She highfived with Alya who had prayed in a similar way it seemed and listened curiously who she got paired with instead. It would be nice with Alya but she knew that their teacher tended to put people in groups with guys you weren´t used to work with.

So when Alya got paired with Juleka she listened intently who got next. When Madame Bustier called her name, her ears perked up and she nearly got a heart attack when Adriens name got called too.

Team up with Adrien? She didn´t knew if this was bad, bad, bad or the best thing that ever happened in her life.

Again flashed the sudden thought of Chat Noir to her mind that Adrien might be her partner during night-time too, but she shook her head to dismiss the thought and no, Alyas photoshopped picture of Adrien in Chats suit and mask didn´t help at all. There was just no way, Adrien could be Chat Noir. No way.

So when he turned around and addressed her she acted how she normally acted around her crush: She blushed crimson.

"Can I come over after school?" he asked her with a genuine smile, "To work on the project."

Concentrating on a proper answer, she smiled too and nodded eagerly. "I would love to," she breathed and Adrien flashed her another smile before turning around again.

As soon as his attention was off her she let a soundless squeal loose and flashed a giddy smile to her best friend. But Alya only raised an eyebrow, an amused smile on her lips.

"Okay, nice move, but what do you do with your walls?" she whispered to her and instant dread settled into her stomach.

Her walls. Adriens pictures. Damn.

Lunchbreak!

She still had time during their lunchbreak to clean her room. Easy.

"I need the break to get rid of _them_ so don´t hesitate to eat without me. Get a date with your boyfriend," she winked and Alyas cheeks turned pink. They bickered for a few more minutes with hushed voices until their teacher called them out.

And as soon as the bell rang, she dashed out of the room to her parents bakery. Luckily she lived close by so she had many time left for cleaning.

But just when she was halfway through her room, she heard the screams from outside. Glancing out of her window, she saw people trapped in bars like a prison. Great, another Akuma.

Sighing, she hastily ripped with Tikkis help the rest of the pictures down and tossed them into her closet. After shutting the door, she called her transformation and Ladybug leaped out of her room onto the street below.

The instant she saw Chat, she thought of Adrien again. She had to admit that they had a similar built and their hair had the same shade of gold... Shaking her head again to clear her mind, she joined the fight. She really had other problems now, the Akuma for example.

Unfortunately, Chat wasn´t quite in the fight like she was, because he didn´t really paid attention which lead to them being trapped in one of the small cages.

Her back was pressed against his chest and suddenly a smell filled her nose. Chats cologne. And it was not a cheap one.

It caressed her nose, smelled full and joyful. It smelled like... Chat.

But she was aghast when she realized that she liked it. _Really_ liked it. She wanted to breath in deeply, smell _him_.

What was up with her?! She liked Adrien! ...Adrien.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Adrien had caught her because of her clumsiness so many times that she knew his smell, especially his cologne. And if she wasn´t completely insane at the moment, it was the same. What were the chances that the two boys in her life used the same cologne?

And again the possibility of Adrien being Chat – No! No way!

It really might be a coincidence. Maybe it wasn´t even the same and her mind confused something.

"Chat!" she called him because he didn´t do anything either, lost in his own thoughts again. "Use your cataclysm, we can´t stay here."

"Aww, and I thought you enjoyed being pressed against my chest," he purred and she totally did _not_ blush. She blushed in front of Adrien, but not because of Chat.

"Just... Just get us out of here!" she called and she noticed horrified that she even stuttered now. Chat was _not_ Adrien!

Luckily, Chat quickly called his cataclysm and touched the bars, which crumbled into rusty dust.

"Thanks," Ladybug said relieved and she dashed after the Akuma.

Soon, she was able to cleanse the Akuma and and she went to her classroom after detransforming in one of the schools bathrooms. The break was nearly over by now, so she had no time to linger at home.

During the last lessons of the day, she caught herself drifting towards Adrien again. They would have to work on a project this afternoon and she really panicked by now. A whole afternoon with Adrien in her room? Sure she would ruin it somehow. And the possibility of him being Chat Noir just wouldn´t fade. Was it really this unlikely? Yes, but Chats cologne confused her. Shoving the thought back again, she tried to concentrate on their lesson again. She didn´t _want to know_!

"Are you ready?" he asked her after the final bell rang, turning around with a smile gracing his lips.

Marinette slightly jumped when he addressed her and with a flushed face she grinned and nodded, not trusting her voice. Get it together Marinette!

So she collected her stuff nervously until a comforting hand landed on her shoulder.

"Calm down girl, it´s just Adrien," Alya smiled at her. But Marinette only sighed. Sure, Adrien alone would be bad, but she was able to handle him. They had many things in common and it wasn´t the first time he was around. After the gaming tournament and especially after he had helped her with Uncle Cheng, the stuttering decreased and she was able to talk somehow properly.

So Adrien, piece of cake.

But Adrien being Chat? Panic-mode.

How she wished to voice her thoughts and problems of the two, maybe one blond boy. "I´m going to be all right Alya," she smiled at her.

"You know," Alya began to tease, "Maybe he will finally fall for you"

"Yeah," Marinette laughed, "Maybe just because I´ll somehow manage to topple over his chair so he crushes on my floor. Then he´ll hate me because I broke his back and he´ll end in a wheelchair. He´ll never be able to model again and his father will throw me out of town and I have to move to China, because all of France will hate me too and-"

Alya shut her off by putting her hand over Marinettes mouth. "Calm down girl," she laughed, "Nothing of this will happen! Just get your things together and have a good time! Prince Charming is waiting for you. Literally. Go!"

With a sigh they hugged and then Alya pushed her towards the door where Adrien waited with a patient smile.

"O... Okay, let´s go," she murmured and went out of the door, passing him. He flashed another smile and followed.

Arrived in her house, they worked on their project, ordered the topics, decided who did what and began to work on their own parts. Adrien researched something on her computer while she sat on the floor, decorating their poster. It went well so far so Marinettes mind fell into ease again. Decorating always calmed her.

But eventually she needed to cut something on the poster and her scalpel was way more precise than the scissors.

"Erm.. can you give me the thingy there?" she asked at a loss to what the tool was called again and gestured nervously to the little box on her desktop.

"Huh? What?" he asked, with seemingly no clue of what she meant.

"That," she began and glanced around the ground, "That pink thing there!" What was it called again?!

"Umm..."

"Argh," she sighed and scrambled to her feet. Little pinpricks stabbed her legs, she had sat too long in a crouched position on the floor.

Wobbling, she limped towards him and grabbed her damn pink scalpel from over his left shoulder.

It was when she retrieved her arm, she accidentally knocked her elbow right into his nose.

Dread filled every fibre and when he began to roll backwards with his chair everything went _totally_ wrong. Unfortunately, the rolls somehow blocked and the chair toppled back. All she could do was shriek and try to grab after him, to somehow stop his fall. But she leaned over to much and the rolls of the chair knocked into her shin so she staggered and fell directly after him. No, on top of him.

He groaned when they landed on the hard ground and instantly she was reminded of her image from later.

But all she really was able to register was his damn cologne. It _was_ the same as Chats and she panicked once more. What should she do with this information?

She only blushed beet red again and scrambled to her feet again. Helping him up too, she realized with relieve, that his back was not broken and he won´t end up in a wheelchair.

After this little incident they finished their parts for the day and she watched him pack his things up.

"Tell me, Marinette," he asked suddenly, about to leave, "What kind of shampoo do you use?"

"M... my shampoo?" she asked and her mind screeched into a halt. Blushing once more, eyes wide like saucers, she couldn´t believe her ears.

"Yeah," he smiled, somehow uncertain now, "you smell like vanilla and strawberries. I like it." That was weird. But... he liked it. He liked her smell, that is good, right?

"I... I don´t know," Marinette tried to explain as honestly as she could, "I... I mean, yeah. It´s brawsterries, I mean, strawberries, but... the vanilla comes from the bakery? I don´t know, it´s quite a smell that stays. Do you really like it?" She couldn´t resist to ask once more.

"Yes," he laughed, "I like it. It reminds me of someone."

"Thanks," she smiled broadly, maybe there was still some hope that he didn´t thought anything bad of her after she had crushed him. Soon he left the bakery with a free take-away-bag

But the weirdest ... situation appeared on a random rooftop, when she met Chat after a game of hide and seek. He asked the _exact same question_

"My shampoo?" she asked with raised eyebrows. "What´s with my shampoo?" Her brain went into panic-mode again. Playing cool, she tried to dodge the question, but had the suspicion, he wouldn´t let it fall.

"Let´s say, I´m curious," he smirked.

"Curiosity killed-"

"-the cat and satisfaction brought it back," he interrupted her, still smiling "I know, we already went through this. Just answer my question, will you?"

Should she answer honestly? She didn´t know. She guessed he was on the verge of figuring out her identity and she wasn´t sure if she liked this development. But lying just because Chat (or maybe Adrien) shouldn´t be able to connect the dots... It felt not right. He was her partner and she should be able to trust him. Maybe it was about time they learned.

But the question had thrown her off, it was too much to be a coincidence.

"What´s with you guys and my shampoo today?" she murmured, but gave in, continued so Chat could hear, "It smells like strawberries and the vanilla somehow sticks. Satisfied?" she frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

Mild curiosity settled in her stomach, what would be his next move? That was the same answer she had given him as Marinette and if he was Adrien, he would recognize it. Maybe... just maybe it wouldn´t so bad, if he found her identity, after she saw his smile. He definitely had a clue, this sly cat.

"Yes, MyLady, thank you." he gently scooped down, took her hand and breathed a kiss on her knuckles. This motion was so familiar it drove her crazy, so she didn´t pull away, settled instead on continuing the game.

"Is everything all right, chaton?" she asked with concern in her voice. The silent question, if he liked her being Marinette got answered immediately.

"Yes, everything is all right." And he was right.

* * *

The third were his puns and it made her absolutely certain. But it drove her crazy.

Was it possible that sweet Adrien was punny Chat? Yes. Did she like this development? No, absolutely not. Absolutely. Not.

Okay, maybe a little.

And she was somehow certain that he knew she was Ladybug too. So the only thing that concerned her was his silence. Chat was _never_ silent. So when nothing happened between the two, neither with Adrien, nor with Chat, she grew worried.

Maybe she hadn´t been right with her assumption? Maybe Adrien wasn´t Chat Noir. That would explain the difference in their behaviour. Chat was noisy, puns the whole day and he was a total flirt. Maybe he had one girl tied to every finger as a civilian, meanwhile Adrien was shy, sweet, caring and the epitome of perfection.

But she acted different as Ladybug too, much more confident and always ready with a witty comeback. So why would Adrien be any different?

That´s why she decided to observe him more closely than before. No, she was no stalker, she was a concerned friend. And indeed, Adrien _did_ act differently with people he felt secure with. Mainly with Nino. There he joked and yes, did pun some times. His smile was more genuine, showed more teeth and was indeed a smaller version of Chats. But those occurrences happened so rare that she wasn´t even sure they happened at all.

So her very own next step: Ask Nino.

"Duuude," he only laughed at her during a break, where she caught him on his way to the bathroom.

"Don´t laugh at me," she whined and pleaded for information, "Please, Nino, just tell me: Does Adrien like puns? Or jokes at all? Does he flirt?"

Nino only laughed once more and grabbed his cap from his head to run his fingers through his short hair. Placing the hat back on he had calmed down, but the grin morphed into a sly smirk.

"I know about your special crush, but what´s that question for? Some weird kink?" he asked instead.

She whined again, she obviously couldn´t explain why she needed to know this, so she pressed further, without answering.

"Please, Nino, just answer me. I _need_ to know!"

He laughed again, Nino surely was amused by her urgency. But he answered nonetheless: "Yeah, my man is nuts about puns, but I have never seen him flirt, he always avoids those fangirls, who try to flirt with _him_. I´m not sure at all, if he is able to flirt with _anyone._ So don´t worry. Can I go now? I really have to-"

"Yeah, yeah, empty your bladder, I´m not going to impede you any further, thank you," she interrupted him and bid him goodbye with a smile.

That left her... confused. Okay, Chat flirted a lot, but she always had doubted that she was the only one he flirted with. Maybe, she just was someone special? Hope made her heart flutter, but she smashed it down. Not the right time and definitely not the right reason.

Adrien obviously liked puns, but was that enough to make him Chat? She didn´t know. And then, why did he lay low? If he discovered her secret, why didn´t he do anything? That was frustrating.

She suffered a few more days until she stumbled into their homeroom one morning. She yawned and slumped into her seat, trying to catch the conversation her friends held. Obviously it was Ladybug again so she decided to act interested, but drifted off, thinking about Adrien. Until said boy did something she _never_ expected him to do openly.

"I think they are the most _purr_ fect couple," he said and the slight upwards quirk of his lips showed Marinette that he _knew_ what he did.

Alya just began to ramble about her OTP, but all Marinette did was throwing a confused glance at him. What was he up to?

When a devilish grin spread on his face and he somehow giddy continued, she knew that this is going to be a long day.

"Last night I saw them on their _cat_ rol and you could literally feel the love _purr_ upting from them."

Ignoring Ninos laughter and Alyas amused squeal, he now openly watched her. She was still confused, that was still Adrien, not Chat, so she cocked her head and asked him silently what he was up to. But he unfortunately kept silent and turned his attention to the front, where the teacher began the lesson.

Deciding that she wouldn´t give him the satisfaction of a reaction, she tried to ignore it, no matter what will happen.

But during the whole day, in every sentence there was minimum one pun and it drove her to the edge of sanity.

"I think I lost an electron, because I´m positive of my answer."

"This question is just a-salt."

"Chemistry is full of alkynes of trouble."

Later then: "I´m sentenced to death."

"That´s noun of my buisiness."

Near lunch she cracked and the first groan left her throat. One could only ignore a certain amount of puns. After this small reaction, he seemed to double his efforts. How many puns did he have stored? It was impossible to continue that charade the whole day.

But two can play this game. If her kitty felt the urge to throw pun after pun at her, she wouldn´t allow him the satisfaction of getting what he wanted: confirmation. So her only solution was to persevere and try to dry him out of puns. He sure would give up. Eventually.

But after lunch, she saw the boys wait by the doors and she knew, she had sealed her destiny. The sly smirk was so Chat Noir, it nearly ached that she hadn´t figured it before.

She groaned and Alya threw her a confused glance before waving.

"Hey, boys," Alya greeted them,"Ready to head to horrible math?"

"Don´t make a _mew_ ntain out of a _mew_ l hill," Adrien, Chat, chuckled, "It´s not that bad, Alya."

She was doomed. Doomed with a pun-loving cat. And when he giddily laughed Marinette had to resist the urge to punch him.

Together they headed to their classroom.

It seemed he had changed tactics, because all she heard for the rest of classes were cat-puns. And they still had a few hours left. She´s going to die if he didn´t stop this right now. Luckily she had the evening free of him, it was his time for a solo-patrol.

In a small break they discussed their afternoon-activities and she had to watch horrified which turn this conversation took. Because Nino just suggested to go to the movies as a group. And when Adrien and Alya agreed, she had no other choice than to go with them after Alya and Nino tried to convince her. Even if that meant more puns, it was just the cinema, so Adrien had to shut up during the movie and she was pun-free. She just to get over the walk.

"What do you want to watch?" Nino asked them when they stood in the big entrance of the cinema, glancing over the display where the movies were listed. And one movie stood out amongst them. She knew, he would pick this one.

"Hey, what´s with ´Catastic`? I heard it´s _purr_ etty-", he began, but got interrupted by three different shouts of ´NO!´. "What?"

"Sorry, dude, but no," Nino began, laughing, and Alya luckily continued: "We had enough cat-jokes for one day and we´re not going into one where cats are displayed as spies."

"That would be _cat_ astrophic," Nino chuckled once more, getting along with Adriens jokes and together they fell into a fit of laughter, Alya and Marinette just mere bystanders.

What had she done to deserve this? Why did the universe hate her so much?

With concern she noticed her eye twitch. She really was close to break at this point, it was only her stubborness that kept her together for now. And she had no clue how far he would go. Probably too far for her own liking, the damn cat knew no limits.

She was absolutely certain by this point that he indeed was Chat Noir and she knew that he knew. But all this sly cat wanted was some kind of confirmation and she had absolutely no intention on giving in. This cat will pay, thinking he could bribe her into revealing. Never.

They finally settled onto one of the newest superhero-blockbusters. With the first appearance of Ladybug and Chat Noir, companies like Marvel or DC-Comics seemed to create a new era and produced superhero-movie after superhero-movie. And Alya hyped them. Naturally, Marinette avoided them, that came somehow with being one himself. They lost their vigour and spite, seemed only dull and overdone.

Adrien seemed to have the same thoughts, but Alya dragged them to the counter and made them pay for their tickets. When Nino went to pay for his and Alyas, Marinette fumbled with her purse for some money until Adrien snatched it away.

"If you don´t let me pay, I´ll pun your head off."

Her eyes widened, did he just...?

"Are you threatening me?" she whispered back, hands on her hips. Okay, maybe too much of Ladybug, but her nerves were already thin and he just brought it out with ease.

"Does it work, MyLady?" he winked and she flushed red, it was still Adrien, using Chats nickname for her. What was he thinking? Using her name to quicken things up? That will never work, but it was enough to let her forget the tickets.

They settled in their seats and when Alya cuddled herself into Nino, she was forced to sit next to the grinning Adrien.

"Want some popcorn?" he offered her with a smile and she just smiled at him sweetly. Does he take a break? Or was that the calm before the storm?

"What? Running out of puns?"

That left him laughing. "No, it´s _mew_ ly im _paw_ sible to run out of puns."

She groaned once more and stuffed her face with popcorn to distract herself.

And she had been right. The movie was _horrible_. Not the content, no, she had absolutely no clue what it dealt with, hell, she didn´t even know the name of the main character. All she took in were horrible puns, jokes and out of context dialogues from her partner next to her. And it really drove her crazy this time. Her eye twitched sickeningly and he even ignored the shushing from the other guests!

And when Alya told her that they just passed the first half, she knew that he´s going to win. With an innocent smile Adrien turned back to the screen and she regarded him for a while. This boy had too much on his plate and she just realized that his sadness had not once occurred that day, he seemed to have the time of his life. Maybe she should just...

She couldn´t finish her thought, because he suddenly turned back again and whispered another awful line in her ear. With another groan she slumped further into her seat and buried her face in her hands.

She was insane in believing she could live with this kitty.

At the end of the movie she had tried to avoid him leaning over to Alya, but the stubborn cat just followed and ended practically in her lap.

She was a total mess at this point, shutting him out seemed to be impossible. Adrien would just continue and continue and continue. He definitely took it too far.

"Aww," she heard him complain, when they exited the hall, And then he did the unspeakable. Bakery-puns. "It´s already _oven_? I just be _bun_ to warm up, they-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!"

She didn´t care for the looks others gave them, he had broken her. The last sentence was enough.

Suddenly she recognised her mistake, she nearly gave herself away. Embarrassed she flushed red and buried her face once more in her hands.

But then he had the audacity to continue.

"Am I a _mew_ ing you?" He breathed, stepping closer and cocking his head to the side, she knew was about to come, "I didn´t quite _cat_ ch what you wanted to say. Or cat got-"

Okay.

He won.

"Finish and I´ll throw you off the next roof," she interrupted him in a low hiss.

"... your tongue?" he dared to finish and laughed.

That was the final straw, Marinette knew it.

Ignoring her deathglare and struggling, he jumped in total joy, circled her waist and hoisted her up in the air. Squeaking, she let him spinning her around, he laughed and was just so happy that she was tempted to fall in.

"Asshole," she muttered against his scalp, stopping to struggle against his grip, he buried his face into the croon of her neck. He chuckled once more and stopped spinning but refused to let her down.

"Erm... Kitty? Can you let me down? Like... Right now? People are staring," she realized and patted his shoulder. A light blush crept on her cheeks and she tried to hide behind him to avoid Alyas very own stare.

"I don´t care," he chuckled and gripped her tighter instead.

But then she saw Alya take a deep breath and readied herself for a storm of questions she wasn´t able to dodge yet. Luckily, she wasn´t the one who acted out of character today.

"Adrien! What´s up with you today?!" Alya surely questioned his sanity by now.

Marinette chuckled from above and she only shrugged her shoulders, breathing in his damn cologne.

Eventually she became too heavy, because Adrien set her down after a while.

Smiling sheepishly, he stepped back from Marinette, and she already missed his warmth. Glancing to his other friends, he just shrugged and tried to somehow explain his unlike-Adrien behaviour. It was quite funny to watch, but she couldn´t find the heart in letting her partner on his own.

"I just waited for her reaction." Would this be enough? Unlikely.

So she continued: "I thought I could dry him out, but obviously..."

"... I can´t be, there are just too many," he finished with a laugh.

It amazed her how they were in synch even without the masks. They finished each others sentences, but she would find the time to swoon over that fact later.

"Sooo, no more puns?" Alya asked incredulously, and unfortunately they both only shook their heads, Marinette full of dread and and Adrien in pure joy.

"Only for today," Adrien mused, "I have to admit it´s exhausting coming up with one in every sentence."

"He will never stop. Never."

Laughing, Adrien grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the building. Without letting go of her, they bid goodbye to the still confused Alya and Nino and he dragged her further down the road. But eventually she noticed the wrong turn.

"Erm... Adrien? I... I live...," Marinette gestured to the corner they just passed and lead to her parents bakery, but Adrien refused to let her go.

"Do you mind coming home with me for dinner?" he asked out of the blue and she stiffened at his side. Going home with Adrien?! Yeah, he was her annoying partner, but she still had problems to come over her crush. Maybe it wouldn´t be so bad to be in love with Chat too. But going home with Adrien? That was definitely too much.

"What?" she asked to be sure, had he really invited her over?

"I mean," he explained and she noticed with dread that the sadness returned into his eyes, "I´m always alone at dinner and I was hoping-" but she interrupted him by placing her palm against his cheek. She would never let her kitty down and when that meant, she was able to wash the sadness away, then she would come with him. And they still had to talk some things through.

"We have to talk anyway so let me just call my parents and we can head to your´s okay?" He flashed her a thankful smile and nodded, letting her go from his grip, only so she could call her parents. He himself called Nathalie, announcing a guest for dinner so the chief could prepare enough food for both.

When they continued their journey, Marinette was so brave and interlaced her fingers with his and his smile couldn´t make her any happier in this moment.

 _Fin._

* * *

 **Okay, thanks for reading, leave your stuff behind... you know. THANK YOU and stay tuned ;)**


End file.
